The Colbert Report Report

“there was no significant difference between the groups in thinking Colbert was funny, but conservatives were more likely to report that Colbert only pretends to be joking and genuinely meant what he said while liberals were more likely to report that Colbert used satire and was not serious when offering political statements“

Fast Forward

The history of the Earth in 60 seconds.

Quality vs Slashiness

Tom does the math.

Comparative reporting

BBC: “Art appreciation ‘a gender issue’“

Scientists: “Sex-related similarities and differences in the neural correlates of beauty“

Daily Telegraph: “Why women cannot read maps and men lose their keys“

Guardian: “Women appreciate beauty better than men, says study“

“Very gradual change we can believe in”

Darwin posters.

JesusBot is among us; repent of thy sins

Robot that can walk on water. Probably makes breaded fishfingers too.

What song do you test a nanotube radio with?

Good Vibrations, of course

The case of the disappearing teaspoons

Researchers in Australia conducted a longitudinal cohort study of the displacement of teaspoons in an Australian research institute. Be sure to read the responses where they bring in Avram Davidson.

Die Puny Humans

I have worked in artificial intelligence for decades, and the idea of a robot making decisions about human termination is terrifying. Policymakers seem to have an understanding of AI that lies in the realms of science fiction and myth.

Noel Sharkey on Robotic Warfare at The Guardian

“Two thirds of all Lancashire participants had a dream about work”

Does eating cheese cause weird dreams? SCIENCE steps in and says yes; moreover, different kinds of cheese cause different kinds of dreams. (NB: Study commissioned on behalf of the British Cheese Board; draw your own conclusions.)